SIRO announces €25m Contract with Huawei for 100% Fiber-Optic Broadband Technology

[Hangzhou, China, November 13, 2017] SIRO, the open-access broadband provider delivering Ireland’s first 100% fiber-optic broadband network to 50 towns nationwide, announced that it has signed a contract with global ICT leader, Huawei. The contract, valued at over €25 million, sees Huawei supply SIRO with end to end network equipment for its phase one deployment to 50 regional towns. The contract was announced at Huawei’s Ultra-Broadband Forum (UBBF) 2017 in Hangzhou today where SIRO CEO, Sean Atkinson is a keynote speaker.

Huawei’s 100% fiber optic technology is a key element in SIRO’s plans to deliver a future-proofed solution to meet Ireland’s broadband needs now, and for decades to come. SIRO partnered with Huawei on the company’s pilot in Cavan Town in 2015 and the relationship has grown since then. Huawei is now providing active telecoms equipment for SIRO for its first phase build of 500,000 premises. Huawei is also the SIRO build partner in Athlone delivering fiber to over 8,000 homes and businesses.

Sean Atkinson (right), SIRO CEO and Ryan Ding (left), Executive Director of the Board and President of the Carrier Business Group of Huawei signed the contract on UBBF 2017.

UBBF is an annual event hosted by The UN Broadband Commission and Huawei. The event sees over 800 operators, industry partners, and agencies come together to share viewpoints on ultra-broadband development. In a keynote address delivered today, Sean Atkinson, SIRO CEO, announced the new partnership and outlined how the Irish example of using the existing ESB networks to rollout fiber connectivity could have applications in other countries.

“This contract is an important milestone in providing best in class, 100% fiber-optic broadband to consumers and businesses in Irish towns. With over 100,000 homes passed and very encouraging early take up rates, SIRO is meeting the demand of Irish homes and businesses for a new communications network for the 21st century. The Huawei technology is a key component to deliver a service to customers that is quite literally the speed of light.”

Ryan Ding, Executive Director of the Board and President of the Carrier Business Group of Huawei, said:

“Huawei is very pleased to be partnering with SIRO to deliver fiber-optic broadband to fifty towns across Ireland. We are working with SIRO to design a network that will meet the requirements of local communities and businesses. As a global ICT business we invested over $11billion into research and development globally last year and this means we are helping SIRO to deliver a world leading fiber broadband solution. Research has shown there is a direct link between improved broadband connectivity and improved economic performance, and we look forward to working with SIRO on what is a nationally significant Broadband rollout.”

With over 100,000 premises passed in 25 towns, SIRO’s 100% fiber optic broadband network is transforming regional towns like Tralee and Letterkenny which now enjoy the same level of broadband connectivity as global megacities such as Shanghai and Tokyo.

SIRO connectivity helps regional towns attract foreign direct investment, encourages local entrepreneurship and allows more people to live and work within their local community. For example, the Ludgate Digital Hub in Skibbereen, West Cork which is powered by SIRO, aims to create 500 jobs in five years and provide a multi-million euro boost to the local economy.

Using the existing ESB network, SIRO is delivered through fiber optic cables which run alongside existing electricity connections, all the way to the building. This technology, known as “FTTB”, delivers 1 Gigabit download and upload speeds. For context, when downloading a high definition film (4 Gigabytes) with a 10 Mbps connection, the download time is an hour – with SIRO it takes approximately 30 seconds.

SIRO is offered on an open-access basis to all telecoms retailers in Ireland. SIRO has formed partnerships with Vodafone, Digiweb, BT, ENet, Carnsore Broadband, Skytel and Westnet, with more retailers set to join the network as the company drives competition in the wholesale broadband market.